Pushing the river

This month is speeding along and I'm not inclined to be sorry about that. Sooner January and February move out of the way, the sooner March can come in like a lion and roar its way toward lambing time. I'm looking forward to the color yellow -- that comes even before green. Yellow dandelions, yellow daffodils and the early yellow leaves no bigger than a squirrels ear.

So go on, January, what do you have we want anyway? We've seen the snow and we've heard the wind, ice has melted and formed again.

January has had it's moments, though. We went over to friend, Edith's house for a get together one day early in January. Met old friends and new ones. Told stories and listened to a few.

Tonight, Honey is playing his guitar and I've been knitting away the evening and stopped to read a bit here and there. I've wandered through my gardening books. It's just the right time for that. Friend, Marcia, gave me poppy seeds to scatter on snow in March. I've got some red corn to try, and my nephew, Jack, has some heirloom beans to share with us. The last pumpkin sits in the kitchen and I hesitate because it's the last bright color. But it's time that soup was simmering.

This month is rolling along. When it's through, February brings another spoke of the wheel with Imbolc or the Disting. I love these old moments. Where would we be without bright moments along the way, whether some tradition we make up for ourselves or some old day celebrated by folks long, long ago.

January isn't ready yet to be over, but already I can watch the mornings and evening grow longer, daylight come sooner. That candle gets lit a little earlier. I greet the day and it rolls along, things getting done and other things being put by until tomorrow. I don't reckon I'll push this river after all. Just let the days come and go and find something rich in them. One day, I'll bake bread, one day I'll spin thread, and one day I'll look out and see the sun warming things up and the snow melting away, just enough of it left for the poppy seeds.